Weddings, proms and parties won’t be held at one of Bristol’s most famous stately home unless they are DIY events - because the council is closing down the ‘loss-making’ management company which runs them.

It means the future of Ashton Court mansion house, which is owned by the people of Bristol, hangs in the balance with a major public meeting planned for next month to discuss the future of the listed building.

Around two-thirds of the building is said to be out of use, and for several years anyone hiring it for weddings and events is actually given use of a marquee on the front lawn.

Now the city council has confirmed the company it set up to promote events and commercial use of the building is to close.

“The events business in the Ashton Court mansion house is closing as it was making a loss and we are unable to subsidise the business,” a council spokesperson confirmed.

“Therefore we need to look at alternative uses for the mansion which do not require council subsidy,” he added.

Now, with Bristol City Council consulting on the way forward, the Bristol Civic Society has stepped forward as a potential saviour of what is Bristol’s biggest listed building.

Civic Society chair Simon Birch said the society is acting after the plight of Ashton Court was flagged up by members living locally in the BS3 area.

At present, the building is owned and managed by Bristol City Council, but with the Government cuts meaning Mayor Marvin Rees has to find £104 million of savings by 2022, the target is to make the entire parks department ‘cost-neutral’.

Ashton Court Estate which could have a Go Ape at the site (Image: Jon Kent)

“We are preparing to go out to consultation on the required parks savings,” said a spokesman for Bristol City Council.

“We are committed to free access to quality parks across the city, and the consultation will help us to decide how the parks service should be transformed, how the savings will be made and what the residents of Bristol want from their parks and green spaces,” he added.

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One option understood to be being explored by the city council is for all the parks to be handed over to a special trust management body to run, using a similar model to publicly-owned assets like the Colston Hall.

Mr Birch said all options would be discussed but he would prefer Ashton Court’s house is handed over to a standalone trust that can attract grants and income from bringing the building back into use.

“Ashton Court Mansion is an extremely important building,” he said.

Ashton Court Estate (Image: Jon Kent)

“A lot of it, around two-thirds or more, is not useable at the moment, and that is a real shame.

“Clearly something needs to happen with Ashton Court, especially in the context of the situation the council is facing at the moment,” he added.

The Civic Society and council chiefs have already been meeting to discuss the future of the building, and a public meeting is being planned at Ashton Court to which anyone can attend and have their say, next month.

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Three options are emerging on the future of Ashton Court – aside from the status quo. The first would be the building and the park are included in a city-wide trust formed to look after all the parks. The second would see Ashton Court Estate and the mansion itself be set up as a separate trust, and the third would see just the building handed over to a newly-founded trust to run, repair and maintain it, within but separate to, the estate itself.

The latter is what Mr Birch said the Civic Trust prefers, but said they are keen to see anything happen which will secure the future of the building.

“As the Civic Trust, our interest is solely on the mansion, that’s the biggest issue. People say you can’t separate the house from the estate, but I don’t think there’s a conflict enough there to stop it, if it’s the most sensible thing to do,” he added.

Mr Birch said it would make sense for a trust to be set up to take on the challenge of restoring Ashton Court. “When you look at what the council has on its plate at the moment – lots of huge projects already, and with a background of having to make cuts and saying it wants its parks to be cost-neutral, it would make sense for them to set up a trust to manage a complex historic building like Ashton Court.

The Night Glow fireworks at Bristol Balloon Fiesta held at Ashton Court estate

“It needs to have a standalone organisation managing it on the council’s behalf. We need to learn the lessons of places where this has been a success, including the Colston Hall and Arnos Vale Cemetery, for example.

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“It’s a public asset, and we’d like to get people involved in helping to meet this challenge,” he added.

A council spokesman confirmed the mansion house would still be available to hire – but the event will have to be a do-it-yourself affair.

“The plan is to offer it for use to individuals and organisations that are willing to pay a fee to hire it,” he added.

“We hope to be able to bring in enough money to keep the building open while we work alongside the Civic Society and other partners and citizens to develop the long term plans for the building,” he added.